Rosmarinus officinalis Majorca Pink - Rosemary

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Majorca Pink' is a variety of rosemary with a bushy habit that flowers in spring, and sometimes again in autumn. It produces abundant soft pink flowers, and is perfectly unique. Its particularly aromatic evergreen foliage forms an upright structure that tends to gracefully spread with age. Of Mediterranean origin, it is a little frost-sensitive, but not afraid of heat, summer drought, or rocky and poor soils.

Common Rosemary, called Rosmarinus officinalis, is a small shrub native to the Mediterranean basin belonging to the family of Lamiaceae. In addition to its numerous culinary or therapeutic properties, this plant has long been attributed with the power to purify the air and ward off evil spirits. Around the Mediterranean, it was burned like incense. Depending on the regions and its natural environment, it has locally differentiated, showing quite varied characteristics of hardiness, habit, and flowering.

'Majorca Pink', as its name suggests, is probably native to the island of Majorca. This variety forms a ramified shrub about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and 80 cm (31.5 in) wide. Its growth is quite slow in poor and dry soil, much faster in rich and cooler soil, but in these conditions its life will be shorter and its habit less bushy. It usually blooms in spring and summer. 'Majorca Pink' bears very small flowers that are gathered in clusters quite similar to spikes along the young branches. The evergreen foliage is composed of small green, narrow leaves with cottony and whitish undersides. They have the particularity of being rolled up on themselves, giving them a linear appearance. This characteristic is an adaptation to drought. The 'Majorca Pink' variety is slightly less hardy than typical rosemary; in well-drained soil, it will tolerate temperatures down to -10° C to -12° C (14° F to 10.4° F).

Bushy and flexible with soft pink flowers, the Common Rosemary and its variants are an interesting alternative to create a dense hedge in a dry, rocky, or sandy garden. It can be planted with roses, lavenders, coronillas, rockroses, and shrubby cinquefoils to decorate slightly arid and scorching areas. It is an excellent nectar provider for bees, at a time of the year when flowers are still scarce.